On January 5, 2015, The Postal Service started their new plan to destroy the Postal Service. The Postal Service at the national level believes by cutting the service standards, slowing the mail, and closing 82 facilities, they can save the Postal Service. If this was a private company, every manager would be fired. Only in the Postal Service can this be considered doing business as usual! Tour1 bids across the nation are being abolished. Tour 2 and Tour 3 bids are being created and then changed on a daily basis. There is so much confusion; employees are hesitant to bid anywhere. Needless to say, it’s a mess. Management was not ready for any of these changes by having machines set up to run zone mail on Tour 2 or Tour 3 before any changes occurred. No OJI’s were trained. Total confusion! Mail is getting out only because of the craft employees who are stepping up and doing what they do best…moving the mail. Employees’ lives are being disrupted because they are being forced to work different tours with different days off and different start times. It is hard to keep our members up to date on all the changes when they keep changing on a daily basis. Just when the union is ready to put out a Union News Express explaining the changes that are occurring, management wants to have another meeting; and more changes happen. I would like the membership to know that your union is doing everything under the contract to minimize the disruption and impact upon our members’ lives in the face of these changes.

I would like to make one more point before I sign off today and this goes out to the non-members; when I meet with management to protect our jobs under the contract, I’m fighting for all of us. The next job lost could be yours. We need each other more than ever! Join your union today and show management that we are united in this fight!

West Wing Settlement Update

By Bobby Rollins, Executive Vice-President

It is with great disappointment that I announce to the recipients of the West Wing Settlement that the Union is no closer to getting people paid today than we were on October 16, 2014, when we had our first meeting with the Local Labor Office about applying the Arbitrator’s Award.

The APWU at the Local Level presented what they felt was a fair proposal to the Local Labor Office on October 16th and it has been nothing but stall tactics from our Local Labor Office ever since. It is apparent that no one at this level is inclined to want to move forward in doing the right thing and paying the employees what they are entitled to.

I notified our National Business Agent (NBA) Clerk Division, Mo Merow and informed her of the situation we were faced with in regards to this settlement. I was assured by Mo that she would contact the Area Labor Office and discuss this issue with them at that level. It appears that in Mo’s discussion with the Area Labor Office they were not aware that an offer had even been presented to the Local Labor Office by the APWU. It was agreed by Mo and Area Labor to have a meeting with all representatives involved as soon as possible at everyone’s earliest convenience after the first week in February.

I will provide updates to the membership as soon as this meeting occurs, and keep you informed as to any progress and breaking news that may result from this meeting.

Dates to Remember

The next General Membership Meeting will be held on February 25, 2015 at 5:00 PM. See you there!